


i never said 'i love you' but a heart never lies

by bottomoftheocean



Category: Big Brother RPF
Genre: M/M, Soulmates, Zankie, but i havent seen a zankie one so, here it is, this is really overdone tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-25
Updated: 2014-09-25
Packaged: 2018-02-18 19:27:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2359550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bottomoftheocean/pseuds/bottomoftheocean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>zach wanted to find his soulmate when he went on big brother.<br/>he wasn't prepared to meet frankie.</p>
<p>or, zach pretends to like victoria because he doesn't want to tell anyone he's gay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i never said 'i love you' but a heart never lies

**Author's Note:**

> let's just say i don't write in past tense.  
> beware of the inevitable tense errors and also the extreme cliche that this is.
> 
> hopefully it's still cute. *fingers crossed*
> 
> title is nabbed from "the boy who never" by landon pigg :)
> 
> (p.s. there's a list of colors+moods in the end notes if you want them!)

Zach had hoped he would get his colors in the Big Brother house. After all, he was twenty-three and had yet to fall in love. And a showmance would be the perfect way to find his soulmate.

But he didn’t know it would end up like this. He never would have thought that Frankie of all people would be the reason he got his colors, especially looking at all the gorgeous women around him. Besides, Frankie had gotten his on day 12, while Zach was asleep, and he was sure that it was because of Caleb, or possibly Cody. Zach’s colors appeared in the night on Day 29, when he was sandwiched between Cody and Frankie in the HoH bed and awoke from a wet dream. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror as he walked by and nearly yelped at the sight of his bright green hair. Instead, he simply sighed and continued his trek into the have-not room to change his shorts.

Blearily he made his way back upstairs, crawling back between Cody and Frankie who now lay as far apart as possible, still fast asleep. Zach resolved then to never tell Frankie two things: one, that he dreamt about him, and two, that he was in love with him.

He’d have to buddy up with Victoria, make it seem like it was her. That’d be the only way. That, and try not to look at Frankie. Ever.

It would be difficult, but there was no way he was letting Frankie find out.

 

-

 

Zach really hated Victoria. More than anyone else he’d ever met. And he hated a lot of people. But this one, he had to pretend, even though it was probably obvious that he was faking. He was forcing himself to hang around Victoria, and it was rather painstaking, but not as much as being that one straight guy who kind of maybe fell in love with someone else’s soulmate, who happened to be another guy.

“What are you doing, Zach?” Victoria asked him one day when they were lying on the hammock together. He had been running his fingers through pieces of her hair absentmindedly, thinking about Frankie. His hair lightened until it was almost white - the color he found that it turned whenever he was annoyed (basically whenever he talked to Victoria or Christine).

Zach let out a breath, spewing another lie. “Your hair is just so pretty, Vicky.”

She rolled her eyes. “You should really stop pretending. I know you’re not in love with me.”

He giggled unconvincingly, hair now a shock of purple - embarrassment. “What are you talking about?”

“If I was your soulmate, your hair would change to the same color every time you look at me, but not Christine. I’ve been paying attention, because I had a feeling you were lying the whole time. Now I know for sure.”

“Listen,” Zach said, defeated, “if I tell you who it is, you have to promise not to say a word to anyone.”

“You have my word,” Victoria replied, drawing an X over her heart.

 

-

 

It’s safe to say Frankie was crushed when he found out that Zach had found a soulmate in Victoria. On day 12, he had walked in on Zach, fast asleep in the rock room, and he had known there was something different about him. The next time he looked in the mirror, his hair had turned neon green and he knew exactly why. But Zach never asked him about it, so why tell him? He and Victoria made a good-looking couple, anyway.

Frankie had definitely noticed how little Zankie time he was allowed lately. Zach was either hanging around Victoria or sleeping nearly all the time, and he rarely ever cuddled with Frankie anymore. But Frankie never stopped watching Zach, and he started learning some of the colors that matched his emotions.

Whenever Zach was nervous or embarrassed, he giggled, and his hair flashed fluorescent blue or purple.

When he was clearly annoyed, it was the bleached color Frankie’s had been prior to day 12.

During his nomination speech, Zach was pissed and irritated at Christine and Nicole for floating through the game, and his hair was jet black with a nearly-white stripe in the front, like a skunk.

And when Zach was content, his hair turned the color of the sky. But Frankie had yet to see Zach’s love color. No matter how often he was around Victoria, his hair stayed that same annoyed color, and it was beginning to make Frankie suspicious.

 

-

 

Zach watched Frankie laugh at something Caleb said, hair bubblegum pink. _That must be his love color,_ he thought absently. His own hair turned to an emerald green, the color of disappointment.

“Listen,” Frankie said with a yawn, “I’m kinda tired. I’m going up to bed.”

“Dude, it’s only midnight,” Cody told him.

The older boy’s hair turned a dark navy - irritation. “Yes, Cody. Now go commit adultery with Christine or something. I’m going to bed.”

While Cody remained in shock from the suggestion, Frankie stood up and headed towards Zach. “C’mon, babe, let’s go to bed,” he prompted, as though they had been socializing just as they always had before Zach got his colors.

“I don’t know, Frankie. I’m really not tired.” He tried stifling a yawn of his own.

“Too bad I just saw the inside of your esophagus, or I might have believed you.” His hair faded to a warm red, and Zach didn’t even want to know what his own was doing, because he wanted more than anything to agree. He missed his Frankie; the same Frankie who now whispered in his ear. “What happened to us? I’ve been so lonely without you. Please come cuddle with me.”

“Frankieeee,” Zach giggled. He tried to will himself to _think annoyed thoughts_ but knew it was failing because how could he be annoyed when the person he was in love with was standing two inches from him and didn’t show any signs of moving away.

“Come on, babe. You know you want to.” And that was all it took. As the younger boy stood from his seat, Frankie’s hair returned to its earlier pink color and Zach was dragged upstairs to the HoH room.

Zach threw Frankie onto the nest bed, giggling. “You wanted to sleep, now sleep,” he commanded, but the sky blue of his hair contradicted him.

“Cuddle with me,” Frankie begged, making grabby hands and his hair brightening back to red.

Zach did, of course, as he said, because who could resist that face? “You know, babe, you’re a really great cuddler. Like, I could cuddle with you all day.”

“I always want to cuddle with you, Zach. And you’ve been spending so much time with Victoria lately. Sometimes I just wish that _I_ was your soulmate so you’d spend more time with me.”

Zach’s hair flashed electric violet. “Too bad I’m not gay, right?” he asked to cover his embarrassment. _Too bad I am and you’re in love with someone else_ , he added to himself.

“It’s terribly unfortunate that I cannot marry you, Zachary.”

He felt it. He knew that feeling, the same one he felt the first night he got his colors, and every night in private every night when he thought about Frankie. That love for the boy who was so clearly in love with Caleb and not him. “You don’t mean that, Frankie,” he said, trying to convince himself to get away from the green hair he knew he was sporting.

“I wish I didn’t.” Zach heard the words without them being spoken. _“Because my soulmate’s name is Caleb.”_

“Well, I am in love with Victoria,” cringe, “and nothing can change that.” He tugged on his now dark green hair.

“I know. It hurts, Zach. It hurts so much to hear you say it,” he admitted with sad eyes and plum-colored hair.

“Why would it hurt you? It’s not like you’re in love with me. Your soulmate is Caleb, right?” Lilac. Jealousy.

“Now where in the hell did you get _that_ from?” Frankie cried incredulously, hair a fiery orange. “Damn it, Zach. Why would you even think that? I love you too much.”

They both now sat upright on the bed, facing one another. Cuddle time was done for the moment.

“I woke up on day 12 and you had your colors, how could it have possibly been me?” he insists, hair darkening gradually to what could only be disappointment.

Frankie rubs his face with his hands. “Oh, my God. You’re literally the biggest asshole ever. How could you ever think it wasn’t you?”

“It isn’t like you ever tried to spend any time with me. You were too busy with Caleb and Cody and I could only think that was the solution.”

“I was trying to distract myself, Zach! Until you got your colors, nothing had changed. But as you said, you’re in love with Victoria and I can’t change that.” His hair faded quickly from bright green to red before finally settling on jet black.

“Fuck Victoria. She’s the worst,” Zach blurts without thinking, immediately annoyed at the thought of her.

“But she’s your soulmate.” Frankie seemed confused.

“Frankie, I love you. Why the fuck can’t you see that? I’ve been falling in love with you since day two! See this?” He gestured at his now raspberry-colored hair. “This is because of you! Fuck, Frankie. God, I love you.” He stood from the bed, pacing around the room.

Frankie’s orange quiff drew Zach’s attention away from his face, but quickly back when the older boy began speaking again. “Why are you fucking lying to me, Zach? I don’t know what it is you’re trying to pull over on me, but I don’t need you fucking with me.”

Skunk-like colors in his hair, Zach continued. “Literally all I’ve wanted to do since the first time we slept in the same bed was cuddle and kiss and whatever the hell else we wanted. Now that I’ve finally grown the balls to _tell_ you, you don’t _believe_ me? I came in this fucking house thinking I was one hundred percent straight but there was something about you that made me question myself and now? Look at me! My hair is whatever damn color it is now and that’s your fault. And I can’t imagine what’s going through your head that you wouldn’t believe me, but all I know is that I’d rather fuck myself in the ass than be with Victoria.”

“All I’ve wanted to do all summer is fuck you in the ass! Don’t do this now, don’t pretend. You can’t pretend, there’s no way for it to work. Go fucking sleep with Victoria. I know that’s what you wanted to do anyway.” His tone was cold, and his hair was the color of ice. Not quite white, but close to it.

Zach did as he asked, slamming the door as he left. There was no reason to try and press it anymore, because Frankie refused to believe anything he said.

It would have been so much easier if he’d actually fallen for Victoria.

 

-

 

Frankie couldn’t believe it. The one man he’d been closer to than anyone was gone. And he couldn’t talk to anyone, really, because he and Zach still weren’t on speaking terms and he was the only person Frankie wanted to talk to. His hair remained dark, dark green for nearly the entirety of the day as he cried for the loss of his grandfather.

Zach felt almost the same sadness as Frankie, because all he wanted to do was comfort him and that wasn’t something he could do. He sat in the have-not room and cried for hours, a contradicting yellow coloring his hair.

It was almost as though he knew the man personally, with all the stories Frankie would tell about him. That combined with the fact that his soulmate was going through such a rough time and he couldn’t help was torture for Zach.

After four hours of crying in the have-not room, Zach had finally had enough. He physically needed to go talk to Frankie, to fix things that were broken the day before. Wiping his eyes, he left the room and asked the first person he saw - Amber - where Frankie was, and immediately headed there, ignoring the woman’s questions about his tears.

He had to get this off his chest.

 

-

 

Zach had half-expected Victoria to tell Frankie the truth after he told her, but it seemed she hadn’t, and she still paraded around like she owned the place after Caleb gave her that Veto. But now that she hadn’t said anything, Zach found himself in an even worse position.

He knocked on the HoH door, hearing a weak voice call, “Go away.” But still he entered, and seeing the state Frankie was in caused him to tear up again.

“Frankie,” Zach said gently, shutting the door and locking it behind him. Frankie looked up, wondering why the younger was there, and his hair faded to pink at the tips, but still stayed mostly green.

“I was hoping you’d grow some balls and come in here,” he laughed halfheartedly. “Come here.”

Zach did, curling immediately into Frankie’s side. “Listen, dude. I know I probably screwed up yesterday for some reason, and I didn’t really think we were talking today. But I- when I found out- about him,” deep breath, “I’ve been crying in the have-not room for hours. Because I can’t imagine losing someone like that, and because I love you so much that I’m upset that you’re hurting.” His voice trembled as he spoke, trying not to cry again.

Frankie, however, couldn’t bring his voice above a whisper in Zach’s ear. “I don’t care that you’re in love with Victoria. I’m going to keep you. You’re the best friend I could ever have and nothing is going to change that.”

Zach chuckled a little, shifting to face Frankie in their embrace. “Something could,” he said.

“What are you talking about, Zach?”

At that particular moment, Zach felt overwhelmed with the amount of love he had for Frankie. “Frankie, I am in love with you. And however bright green my hair might be right now shows that. I could never care about Victoria as much as I care about you, and frankly I must be a really good actor because I actually hate her so much. I hid it because I thought you were in love with Caleb and I didn’t want to love a guy, especially not one that would never feel the same about me.

“So Frankie, if you decide you don’t believe me, I’ll get up and leave right now. But I’m telling you the one hundred percent truth. I love you. More than anything.”

“I really don’t know what you’re trying to do, Zach, but-”

“Frankie Grande Marchione. Listen to my words, and believe them. And love what I’m about to do, because I never would have thought I would ever do it.”

Without a response, Zach craned his neck up and pressed his lips against Frankie’s. He was already tired of the disbelief and the hostility Frankie had aimed towards him for the past day and a half, and he put all his emotion into that kiss. When he pulled away, Frankie’s eyes flew open and he could do nothing except stare at Zach.

“Do you believe me now?” he asked the older boy.

“I don’t know, Zach.” Frankie moved away, leaving Zach to flop over onto his back. “I don’t know what to do about you.”

“Do you believe me now?” Zach repeated.

Frankie crawled on top of him, lying flush against him, and kissed him again.

The younger boy giggled. “Frankieeee,” he whined, “your stubble is tickling me.”

“You’ll have to get used to it if you want to be with me.”

“I never said it was a bad thing,” Zach replied, pulling Frankie down to him again. Their matching green hair mingled together as they kissed, and Zach knew that his heart had made the right decision.

And he didn’t even have to say ‘I love you’ first.

 

**Author's Note:**

> zach -  
> love = bright green  
> annoyance = bleach blond  
> anger = black with white streak  
> embarrassment = bright purple  
> nervousness = bright blue  
> contentedness / happiness = sky blue  
> disappointment / dejection = emerald  
> jealousy = lilac  
> passion / extreme emotion = raspberry  
> sadness = yellow
> 
> frankie -  
> love = bright green  
> contentedness / happiness = bubblegum pink  
> annoyance = dark navy  
> longing / fondness = warm red  
> disbelief = fiery orange  
> jealousy = plum  
> disappointment / dejection = black  
> anger = ice blue  
> sadness = dark green
> 
> i really really enjoyed writing this even though it's super cliche and i really hope you enjoyed reading it!  
> mikki xx


End file.
